DISNEY if you don't want the average Joe to stay at the parks just say so...

[Hopefully]

I must have missed the part in the Bill of Rights about our right to an affordable Walt Disney World vacation.

I'm a (single) public school teacher in one of the worst-paid states in the nation. My parents are retirees who aren't exactly wealthy either. We're going to WDW for the first time in 17 years. True, we are a small group and it took years to save up the money for this splurge of a vacation. Because THAT'S what a WDW vacation is. A big splurge. If you've got other financial priorities and/or cannot swing WDW, you DON'T GO. You take smaller, less expensive trips and save WDW for the special occasions. This idea that it's a place that everyone should be able to afford to go every year is just not realistic. It's a one-of-a-kind vacation destination. You have to pay to play.

I totally agree with this sentiment.
For our first trip in the mid 80"s we saved for 3 years to be able to afford to go. We drove from MA as we couldn't afford flights for 5. We stayed at the Travel Trailers at FW (the precursor to the Cabins) as it was the cheapest on site option - this was before either Mods or Values. We loved every minute of our long dreamed of trip. I worked and DH worked 3 jobs in those years. We were frugal in other ways to be able to afford our dream. It took 3 years of saving, but it was worth it for our family. I never felt it was my Right to go.
In my opinion, nothing has really changed. Disney was an expensive trip for the Average Joe in the 80's. It is an expensive trip now. Some can not afford to go each year - that is fact. It has always been fact.
A Disney trip is not a Right that anyone is entitled to. You need to work and save for the trip if that is where you want to go.

 

[nilla]

Welcome to corporations. If Disney's CEO isn't maximizing profits, the shareholders are going to demand his replacement. After all, most didn't buy Disney stock with the end goal of making the WDW resort the best possible experience for all guests. They bought it to make money. "But what about the average Joe's?" doesn't stop most shareholders from dumping their shares when they can find a better investment elsewhere. Without shareholders, Disney would lose a large source of capital.

 

[nilla]

Now, that resort only trip is looking to go up $15/night just in resort fees

Is this set in stone? Last I heard, the possibility was floated in a survey.

 

[ellie05]

I totally agree with this sentiment.
For our first trip in the mid 80"s we saved for 3 years to be able to afford to go. We drove from MA as we couldn't afford flights for 5. We stayed at the Travel Trailers at FW (the precursor to the Cabins) as it was the cheapest on site option - this was before either Mods or Values. We loved every minute of our long dreamed of trip. I worked and DH worked 3 jobs in those years. We were frugal in other ways to be able to afford our dream. It took 3 years of saving, but it was worth it for our family. I never felt it was my Right to go.
In my opinion, nothing has really changed. Disney was an expensive trip for the Average Joe in the 80's. It is an expensive trip now. Some can not afford to go each year - that is fact. It has always been fact.
A Disney trip is not a Right that anyone is entitled to. You need to work and save for the trip if that is where you want to go.

I agree that a Disney trip is not a right, but at some point it looses its value. If you went to the grocery store and an apple was $1, but you really like apples so you pay the dollar. A week goes by and the apple now is $1.25 ok that sucks but you buy it. The next week the apple is $1.50 and you only get half an apple are you going to be ok with that? For the person buying apples for the first time it is going to think we'll that is the price of apples ok. For the person that buys apples once every 5 years is not really going to remember what the price of apples was so they are probably going to be ok with that too.

I don't think people are upset because we think Disney is a right. We are upset because we are getting charge more for less. We can afford the $15 a night and the rising price of food is just that we don't want to. It doesn't make sense to pay more for less. Seriously I started planning our April trip in February, since then they have increased ticket prices, reduced operating hours, cut staff, raise food prices.

 

[Hopefully]

I agree that a Disney trip is not a right, but at some point it looses its value. If you went to the grocery store and an apple was $1, but you really like apples so you pay the dollar. A week goes by and the apple now is $1.25 ok that sucks but you buy it. The next week the apple is $1.50 and you only get half an apple are you going to be ok with that?

I don't think people are upset because we think Disney is right. We are upset because we are getting charge more for less. We can afford the $15 a night and the rising price of food is just that we don't want to. It doesn't make sense to pay more for less. Seriously I started planning our April trip in February, since then they have increased ticket prices, reduced operating hours, cut staff, raise food prices.

It is your right and your responsibility to judge what has value for your family and make your own decisions and make your choices based on your view of that value.
For us, Disney still has value.
Costs are going up everywhere. I pay more at the grocery store. I pay more at the dry cleaners (outrageous costs for my work clothes) etc. etc. etc. We eat out less because it has less value for me. We have not been to the movies in many years, because it has less value to me.
For us, Disney still has value for the dollar spent. We will choose to continue to go.
Everyone will make there own decision and that is a good thing.

 

[P'colaBeachBum]

well, guess what. That's exactly how it worked when Disneyland and Disneyworld opened.
Except top rides are not called A, but E.
that's why headliners are called E-Tickets, because they used to require the use of a "E"
ticket from your ticket book.
it used to cost a A ticket to ride the main street vehicles, a C ticket for Dumbo, Peter Pan, among others

it would be back to the "good old days" where you paid for what you rode. That's how Walt started it. So you might be wrong in saying his dream is dead ... looks like it will pretty much come back to life ...

(not saying it would be good or I would like it, just saying what used to be)

pic courtesy of yesterland

"good old days"
My first visit to Disneyland was in '61, we had to save up to go and could not afford to stay at the Disneyland hotel. My first visit to WDW in '72 we had to save up for over a year to stay at the Poly for 5 nights. I'm now a Shareholder and we go a couple of times a year and DCL cruises......we save up for those trips too. Milk and bread prices are high, meat has gone up. You do what you have to do. If you think it's to expensive find a cheaper vacation closer to home or save what you can to go to the parks.

 

[CampbellzSoup]

What's the "Average Joe" now?

I completely understand your frustration - however I still think the actual multiday park tickets are a steal.

I saw aladdin on Broadway last night and while it was awesome for only 2 1/2 hours I could have purchased a 3/4 day ticket at Disney.

Again I have no interest in staying in their resorts after I've already done a value moderate and deluxe - no internet and you can get amazing hotels in the area for a steal!

Also you can bring your own food in and not pay their outlandish food prices - it's all perspective.

If you wanna enter the park and enjoy I still think it's very reasonable but if you're talking the extra perks being a Disney hotel and dining plan then you might see your dollar being stretched more.

Overall honestly for fireworks a parade multiple awesome rides and the atmosphere it's still a real good value.

 

[Mikie]

Nobody likes a price increase. I don't like getting asked to pay a resort fee for things that used to be included.
Am I still planning to go? You bet. It's an expensive vacation. We look at the cost, make a decision, and go.

The way I see it, last time we went was 2014. Next time we are going is November of 2017. By that time, we will have all the night activities at Animal Kingdom, Pandora (I hope!!!), Disney Springs (which isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I'm VERY excited about it), the Frozen Ride (meh, something new), new Star Wars night shows at DHS and who knows what else - to me, that offsets the price increases.

And then we won't be back again until the new things at DHS are done, we will visit other places on the planet. I agree, if nothing changes from year to year, but the price goes up, then why would I keep going if I was unhappy with it? Don't go until something new peaks your interest, problem solved....

****I reserve the right to change my mind at any given time

I saw your post in another thread as well, and I feel similarly, but I think this tips me over to the opposite side of the fence. I am a 3-4 year visitor and that really helps keep the parks new - in 2014 New Fantasyland and Frozen stuff were new to us. We were considering late 2017, which would bring all the items in your list. However, in my case, these pauses between trips makes all the pricing into "price leaps" as compared to barely perceptible price creeps.

I think frequent visitors get the slow frog boiling effect, but for me these prices will be a huge hit in the face. I get out my prior trip planning notebook when I start a new trip plan. From my 2010 trip to my 2014 trip, it was a few pinches and eye rolls and a *sigh* everything just keeps going up! For me to go ahead with a 2017 trip, it is a gut-punch! The prices are dramatically higher in total. Instead of our usual "take the last trip plan and tweak details to choose resort, timing, options" we'll have to decide to either consider doing Disney a completely different way for us (off site, no dining plan, fewer TS, renting a car) OR simply taking our ball and going home.

Not in any kind of "boycott Disney" way, but in a cold, analytical way, they've turned me from an automatic "I'll go to Disney, and stay onsite and dedicate all of my vacation dollars to them", to a "will we even go to Florida? Where will we stay? What portion of our vacation dollars *might* they get" visitor.

 

[TexasKiwiPrincess]

This article first appeared in October 2015. It offers an in depth analysis of price increases for a visit to a Disney Park. I think it's very well done and extremely informative.

http://www.latimes.com/business/hil...eyland-tickets-inflation-20151006-column.html

 

[nilla]

I was thinking about the proposed "resort fee" and have come to the conclusion that this might actually end up being cheaper than if they simply raised the room rate by $15 a night. Here's why:

Last year, at CBR, it was a good 3-4 days before we had working wi-fi in our room. It took multiple calls to tech support to get it resolved. If there were a $15/night fee last year for "perks", which included wi-fi, we would have complained, and most likely would have that waived for those days. Not so simple putting a dollar amount on it if it's not part of a semi-itemized fee.

 

[mar7967]

Maybe this is exactly what Disney wants to help thin crowds a bit to lead to BETTER guest satisfaction. Instead of families going every year, if they start going every 3-5 years, they parks may be less crowded.

 

[Dug720]

I must have missed the part in the Bill of Rights about our right to an affordable Walt Disney World vacation.

I'm a (single) public school teacher in one of the worst-paid states in the nation. My parents are retirees who aren't exactly wealthy either. We're going to WDW for the first time in 17 years. True, we are a small group and it took years to save up the money for this splurge of a vacation. Because THAT'S what a WDW vacation is. A big splurge. If you've got other financial priorities and/or cannot swing WDW, you DON'T GO. You take smaller, less expensive trips and save WDW for the special occasions. This idea that it's a place that everyone should be able to afford to go every year is just not realistic. It's a one-of-a-kind vacation destination. You have to pay to play.

I've said similar before. The Declaration of Independence does NOT list our unalienable rights as "Life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and a trip to Disney World".

 

[larryz]

This works only if you're a Nielsen household. "Boycott (name of network)" doesn't work like people think it does.

If an advertiser thought (or was made aware) that people were not buying their product because of something the network carrying their ads was involved in, it might have an impact.

 

[MaryKatesMom]

Count me in as someone who is sees a diminished value. We had PAP for years with 4-5 long trips a year but gave it up last year. I'd rather spend my time and money on enjoying other cities around the world.

We had a lovely week in New Orleans last Easter but this Easter I am spending more at WDW and am looking at less hours then in 2014. I am spending more and getting less. I didn't even bother to get PAP's since I refuse to go back again until DHS is up and running with its new lands. TIW is no longer a good deal so what is the point. I get that Easter would be a black out date but they added MORE black out dates around the holiday's.

 

[ellie05]

It is your right and your responsibility to judge what has value for your family and make your own decisions and make your choices based on your view of that value.
For us, Disney still has value.
Costs are going up everywhere. I pay more at the grocery store. I pay more at the dry cleaners (outrageous costs for my work clothes) etc. etc. etc. We eat out less because it has less value for me. We have not been to the movies in many years, because it has less value to me.
For us, Disney still has value for the dollar spent. We will choose to continue to go.
Everyone will make there own decision and that is a good thing.

Exactly it is my right and my responsibility and that is what I am doing. I just get tired of people that don't seem to understand why people are upset. Or are you happy to be paying more for work clothes that are lesser quality and Disney ? People act we should be happy to pay more for less and if we are not well it is not our right to go to Disney.

 

[larryz]

I must have missed the part in the Bill of Rights about our right to an affordable Walt Disney World vacation.

I'm a (single) public school teacher in one of the worst-paid states in the nation. My parents are retirees who aren't exactly wealthy either. We're going to WDW for the first time in 17 years. True, we are a small group and it took years to save up the money for this splurge of a vacation. Because THAT'S what a WDW vacation is. A big splurge. If you've got other financial priorities and/or cannot swing WDW, you DON'T GO. You take smaller, less expensive trips and save WDW for the special occasions. This idea that it's a place that everyone should be able to afford to go every year is just not realistic. It's a one-of-a-kind vacation destination. You have to pay to play.

For a lot of us, it's diminishing returns on increasing vacation investment. We're getting tired of paying more to wait in longer lines, eat mediocre food, stay in overpriced hotels and ride crowded transportation. The differentiators that used to make WDW a treasured vacation experience just aren't there for us any more.

 

[pumpkinhead10a]

Not thinking about me, been Disney 5 times..just me and the wife! Thinking of the families with 2 kids or more who Disney is pricing out of a Disney vacation because of their greed . Spent 40 years in retail management so I do understand the cost of running a business and the need to improve the balance sheet, but I also know when it comes down to plain greed and the joy of saying look I'm making the most profit ever and that what this is. From what I can see their play book are targeting the families with a yearly income of over 100,00.00, as lower income families tends to spend less money in the parks, but that 's only my humble opinion!

 

[Praying Colonel]

Is this set in stone? Last I heard, the possibility was floated in a survey.

There's obviously no connection whatsoever between a survey and the outcome.

IMHO Disney isn't telling the "average Joe" (or repeat guest) they want us to stay away. They're just saying they couldn't care less if we visit. They've been marketing to the "once in a lifetime trip"/new guest crowd for awhile--the ones who don't know any better or don't care.

They figure they don't have to do anything special to get the return guests because we have pixie dust in our eyes and we'll return no matter what. And even if we don't return, they figure they'll make it up in newbie volume, along with increased profits from reducing expenses/services and raising prices.

Average Joes? IMHO you can sum up their view of Average Joes in 1 word: "Whatever."

 

[larryz]

I've said similar before. The Declaration of Independence does NOT list our unalienable rights as "Life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and a trip to Disney World".

For some of us, "the pursuit of happiness" includes an annual/monthly/weekly trip to Disney World.

 

[Dug720]

For some of us, "the pursuit of happiness" includes an annual/monthly/weekly trip to Disney World.

That is your choice.